Bookstore

CONCUSSION INC.: The End of Football As We Know It

Inside the controversial and newsworthy issue of concussions in American football — Muchnick’s trademark no-holds-barred investigation reveals the corruption and scandals in real time

Traumatic brain injury in football is not incidental, but an inevitable and central aspect of the sport. Starting in high school, through college, and into the NFL, young players face repeated head trauma, and those sustained injuries create lifelong cognitive and functional difficulties.

Muchnick’s Concussion Inc. blog exposed the decades-long cover-up of scientific research into sports concussions and the ongoing denial to radically reform football in North America. This compilation from Muchnick’s no-holds-barred investigative website reveals the complete head injury story as it developed, from the doctor who played fast and loose with the facts about the efficacy of the state-mandated concussion management system for high school football players, to highly touted solutions that are more self-serving cottage industry than of any genuine benefit.

This classic 2007 collection includes the author’s memoir of his uncle, legendary promoter Sam Muchnick; the untold story of the Von Erich wrestling family of Texas; the People magazine article that busted Hulk Hogan as a steroid user; and the hushed-up tale of what really happened when Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend died in a Pennsylvania hotel room.“Irv Muchnick knows wrestling like Anna Wintour knows fashion” – Frank Deford

Order an autographed copy direct from Concussion Inc.. (the $17.95 price also includes free shipping on domestic orders; Canadian orders, add $5 for shipping; all other international orders, add $10 for shipping)

CHRIS & NANCY: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death

Chris & Nancy

This is the influential 2009 book that bridged the worlds of sports, “sports entertainment,” and national politics, and helped put the concussion crisis on the map. CHRIS & NANCY is the true-crime account of the events of June 2007, when WWE star Chris Benoit murdered his wife and their 7-year-old son, before taking his own life. The Benoit story spurred the research of chronic traumatic encephalopathy pioneer Dr. Bennet Omalu, inspired Congressional investigations, and impacted the Senate campaigns of WWE co-founder Linda McMahon.

Order an autographed copy direct from Concussion Inc.. (the $19.95 price also includes free shipping on domestic orders; Canadian orders, add $5 for shipping; all other international orders, add $10 for shipping)

JUSTICE DENIED: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentino’s Death in Jimmy “Superfly”Snuka’s Motel Room

JUSTICE DENIED

In 1983, Nancy Argentino — girlfriend of eventual WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka — died mysteriously in a motel room outside Allentown, Pennsylvania. Author Irvin Muchnick’s 1992 article about the incident (later collected in his 2007 book WRESTLING BABYLON) is the most authoritative account of what happened. On the 30th anniversary of Nancy’s death, Muchnick has updated his material and added never-before-published photos and documents. In association with the Argentino family, all royalties from this project are being donated to organizations fighting domestic violence.

PENN STATE IN THE POOL: The Cover-Up of the USA Swimming Youth Coach Sex Abuse Scandal

Penn State in the Pool

Including facsimile reproductions of primary-source documents from civil lawsuits against the U.S. Olympic Committee’s governing body for competitive youth swimming, this follows the story of widespread sexual misconduct by coaches, which was first reported in 2010 by ABC’s 20/20. The book raises serious questions about whether Chuck Wielgus, the executive director of USA Swimming, has made good-faith reforms of USA Swimming procedures, and whether he has been truthful in public statements about the scandal – including sworn statements, under penalty of perjury, to courts adjudicating claims of victims.

THE CHINA SYNDROME: How Athletes and Celebrities Get Their Performance-Enhancing Drugs – How a Rogue Prosecutor Bungled Their Bust by Irvin Muchnick and Anthony Roberts

Syndrome

Performance-enhancing drug use is the scandal in big-time sports and Hollywood that won’t go away. This is the first investigative account of the botched prosecution of Internet human growth hormone dealer Signature Pharmacy, and its implications. The who’s-who cast of celebrities includes Sylvester Stallone and many other famous entertainers and athletes, and the story of the global marketing of HGH takes readers deep inside the treacheries of Olympic politics. Set against the backdrop of the most successful steroid bust in American history, Operation Raw Deal, THE CHINA SYNDROME ties together headline names, political and big-money interests, sociology, and borderless and anonymous intrigue behind HGH trafficking.

Readers without a Kindle device or a Kindle app on another device can order a PDF file direct from Concussion Inc. for $2.99 via PayPal
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OUT OF MY HEAD: My Life In and Out of Football by George Visger (February 2012)

George Visger

George Visger, a member of the San Francisco 49ers’ first Super Bowl champions in 1981-82, has lived with a shunt in his brain even since — a consequence of the many concussions he sustained during his football career. Despite suffering from “water on the brain” and impaired short-term memory, he became a wildlife biologist, a prominent figure in the fight for fair treatment of retired players by the $10-billion-a-year National Football League, and an advocate of solutions to the American football concussion crisis at all levels. This is Visger’s remarkable story.

Readers without a Kindle device or a Kindle app on another device can order a PDF file direct from Concussion Inc. for $2.99 via PayPal
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UPMC: Concussion Scandal Ground Zero (January 2012)

UPMC

A 7,000-word investigation of the role in the sports concussion crisis of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and its doctors, principally Joseph Maroon, whose many hats include team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers and medical director of World Wrestling Entertainment. The book chronicles how UPMC’s Sports Concussion Program, launched in 2000, led to the development by Maroon and colleagues of the for-profit ImPACT Applications concussion management software company, whose research was underwritten by National Institutes of Health grants. In the era of “concussion awareness” promoted by the National Football League, ImPACT is marketed aggressively to high school and youth programs despite serious questions about its effectiveness.

Readers without a Kindle device or a Kindle app on another device can order a PDF file direct from Concussion Inc. for $1.49 via PayPal
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DUERSON (November 2011)

Duerson

Exclusive new information on the February 2011 suicide of former pro football star Dave Duerson, and this bolsters the argument that the National Football League’s retirement and disability plan board, on which Duerson sat, should reopen all rejected disability claims on which Duerson had deliberated.

Readers without a Kindle device or a Kindle app on another device can order a PDF file direct from Concussion Inc. for $1.49 via PayPal

Irv says:

Investigative journalism is not “peer-reviewed scientific literature.” It is a contact sport. My version of it favors transparent and interactive relationships with readers and sources. I also recognize that backstories and their interpretation are organic; I strive for what is, at best, the second draft of history.